I am a PhD candidate in the EBIO department and am a member of Scott Taylor’s lab. I’m interested in the origins of resistance to pathogens. Specifically, I study avian malaria infections in two local songbird species, the black-capped and mountain chickadee. My research harnesses the power of citizen science through the use of monitored bird nest boxes in Boulder and surrounding areas to study avian malaria infections in breeding chickadees. I aim to identify the effects of avian malaria on chickadee breeding success. Additionally, I’m studying how factors such as urbanization, elevation, and annual climate variation, influence avian malaria infection rates in chickadees. Through the CSO I will be taking my research a step further by studying how the immune system, which is essential for limiting pathogen virulence, has evolved in black-capped and mountain chickadees.